OXFORD, Miss. – For the first time in program history, Ole Miss is ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, coming in at No. 23, as voted by a panel of head coaches across the nation.

Returning nearly the entire roster from last season’s NCAA Sweet 16 team, Ole Miss comes into the 2021 campaign ranked ahead of some of the nation’s premier programs, including the likes of Stanford, Washington State, Michigan and Texas.

One of five SEC teams appearing in the preseason poll, Ole Miss was slotted in the same 23^rd position in the final United Soccer Coaches Poll of the 2020 season, also earning the No. 15 ranking from TopDrawerSoccer.com.

The Rebels boast an experience laden roster in 2021, returning every single goal, assist and save from last season’s squad. In all 16 players return from the 2020 team, including First Team All-SEC standouts Channing Foster and Ashley Orkus, the reigning SEC Goalkeeper of the Year.

Opening up preseason camp on Tuesday, Ole Miss travels to Dallas for an exhibition with SMU on Monday before kicking off the regular season at home on Aug. 19 against ETSU.

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss Soccer on Twitter at @OleMissSoccer, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissSoccer, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemisssoccer. Also, follow head coach Matt Mott on Twitter at @CoachMattMott.